Sundays.

When routine is actually good for you – and, bonus, it makes you feel calm.

Photo by Holly Stratton on Unsplash

The one day I try very hard to keep for myself is Sunday. It’s my reset day. I do things like grocery shop first thing, do loads of laundry, change my bed, clean the litter box, make a bunch of things for the week (rice, eggs, cold brew, vinaigrette…) and make something substantial like a roast chicken, a pot of soup, pasta sauce and if time allows, maybe try a new recipe. Or take a nice nap. I love naps.

Years and YEARS ago, (2012?) I made these really, really good salted caramel brownies and they were sold in a few shops here in Baltimore. I borrowed a friend’s commercial kitchen and I baked there on Sundays and many of my friends helped me. I made the brownies for a little over two years and then, it was time to either double down on scaling up and making it my work or walking away. I walked away. I still remember  the feeling of having people love something that I made. But I always know when it’s time to redirect my energy and I never looked back. I loved having my Sundays back.

In 2020, I started a newsletter and it was a weekly update on the restaurant scene in Baltimore. The COVID rules for dining out changed constantly and so since I knew a lot of people in the industry, I had direct access to the latest on things like: who has heaters, who had curbside, who had pivoted to selling groceries and sundries, who was seating inside…ALL the things we all wanted to know so that we could support our favorite people and places. Since I work full-time, once again, my new thing was done on Sundays. From start to finish, each one took anywhere from four to six hours. I felt good about the newsletter, like it was my way of helping, even the smallest amount. After the effects of COVID became less of an issue for restaurants, I wrote monthly and just sent my last one this past January after starting this Substack. With Substack, I can write after work and on weekends and there’s no pressure to “finish”. It feels so much more relaxed.

And, here we are. I got my Sundays back. One thing about having a productive Sunday is that it makes your Monday that much better. For me: the fridge is full, the sheets are clean, the sink is empty, the laundry is away and ready to go and if I’m lucky, I feel rested and even a little zen. I love how people have Sunday Funday but to be honest, I like my version better.